Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The new issue of the EXD zine is out and this issue features an interview with two members from Creative Zero who were a hardcore band from the early 80's that formed in the Peterborough area. James Zero, who played guitar, and Joel Wasson, who played drums, were the interviewees. They fill us in on the band tell us about moving to Toronto, give us stories about the shows they played, the bands they played with and the clubs that this all happened in. They also inform us that they were recorded for a second T.O Hardcore comp that never came out. But they were in "Not Dead Yet" so that is part of the narrative. Tim Freeborn transcribed this beat of a discussion. We also included a few reviews of an ealry Toronto punk zine called "Smash it Up" with links to on-line versions so that you can download them for yourself.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Burial Permit are a new power violence band, although they toy with descriptors like metal violence and the ungrindliest grindcore band. D'Arcy brought them to my attention last year just after they released their 5 song demo on bandcamp. At the time I knew that Spencer from Direct Approach had formed the band and had switched from bass to singer in this new band. Spencer has a theatre background and has learned how to sing from the diaphragm. Good thing because there was still a voice at the end of last night's session. That is particularly remarkable considering they did most of their songs more than once and they played a show the night before.

I also knew Lautaro from Total Trash. Both bands had played in Studio 3 before, although Total Trash recorded in the old studio. I learned that Total Trash broke up or morphed into a new band called Home Invasion. I should also mention that Lautaro and Spencer have five other bands outside of Burial Permit and to with each other. They list them off in the interview.

Spencer warned me that we needed to do some work with Lautaro's set up. They had to bring a separate amp for pedals and sound effects that would become a big part of the song "Sleep". Lautaro was creating a layer of noise using guitar pedals, an old school portable tape recorder (old technology), and a cell phone (new technology). The cell phone was the first as in instrument for these sessions. Lautaro was wearing a Column of Heaven shirt and he talked about them as being an influence on the band's sound. Column of Heaven have adopted the sound and atmospherics of the early industrial scene and morphed it into their power violence influenced meanderings which also channel Man is the Bastard. Spencer spoke of the two bands as being peers in the Toronto scene.

With regards to the song "Sleep", the guitarist Luciano, contributed by playing the guitar with a drumstick like it was a slide pick on the fret board's but not in the country and western application of the style. It was to layer noise in a droning song to resemble pain. Luciano is Lautaro's younger brother. And the drummer, Thomas, is Spencer's cousin. The band is made up of a set of relations. And many great bands are built around families. Think of Devo who are two sets of brothers (Bob Castle, RIP). I have been reading about No Means No and the Wright Brothers who have made thirty years of great music. There is lots of promise for this band and the chemistry between them allows for creative dialogue to evolve. Luciano is an original member. Spencer is the self designated band leader. Lautaro is the most recent addition not playing on the original demo. Thomas is the youngest and plays one of the most elaborate drum kits to ever set up in Studio 3. Spencer joked that Thomas plays the Neil Peart (Rush drummer) set ups. There was an extra floor tom, a double bass drum pedal, and loads of cymbals some of which were stacked on top of each other and others which had holes cut in then resembling Swiss cheese. Thomas also had a great story about being tutored by the drummer from Cryptopsy at drum camp over the summer. Thomas used to play in a prog metal band and Burial Permit is his first introduction into the punk world.

Lots of these songs are the first times they are being committed in a studio. Some of these songs are re-recorded with the current line up. There is a YDI cover and a couple of improvised IDs. All of this was recorded and mixed by Ian Wilkinson from Big Brother. The songs are:

1. Writhe2. Calloused3. Less than nothing4. Burial5. Failure6. Meat7. Cycles8. Privilege (which is now being called Willful)9. Stray10. Sleep11. Out for Blood (YDI)12. Truth13. ID 114. ID 2A video mix was edited together by Aldo from Punks and Rockers which will be posted up here soon.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

You can play the show above or download an MP3 file of the program. The beginning of this show was inspired by the Olympic hockey game witnessed earlier in the day that went into sudden death overtime. The Hanson Brothers song "Sudden Death" started out the show. Then we went into sets by Canadian bands and Finnish bands. I tried to keep it more contemporary.HANSON BROTHERS - Sudden Death (Wrong)Canada vs. FinlandAK47 - Season of Death / Winter is Over (Self-Released)PICK YOUR SIDE - This Is Not A Test (Regurgitated Semen)NAPALM RAID - Essence of War (Rust and Machine)NO PROBLEM - Debts (Handsome Dan)PROXY - Wasted Days (Imminent Destruction)BISHOPS GREEN - Tumbling Down (Rebellion)KAUNEUS AND TERVEYS - Tyollistettava (Urban Gorilla)TERVEET KADET - Peikotila (Kamaset Levyt)YDINASEETON POHJOLA - Grynderi (Nightstick Justice)HAISTELIJAT - Syksyn Harrastusvinkkeja (Nuuhkaja / Joteskii Groteskii)HERO DISHONEST - Suomi tarvitsee peloittavan armeijan (Peterwalkee)Continuing with a women in punk series starting out with one of John Peel's favourites from Australia.XL CAPRIS - My City of Sydney (Residoll)STRAPAZE - Tage (Tritt)RAKKETAX - Van Agt (Rock Against)THE REACTORS - World War Four (Nuclear Waste)DEBILS - Maso (Teva)BLITZKREIG - Szene (Lost and Found)THE DISTURBERS - KZ Syndrome (Self-Released)LOST CHERREES - Living in a coffin (Mortarhate)LEARNED HELPLESSNESS - Vegis (Nimrod)This is a set of straight edge material most of which is new.BEYOND PINK - Thanks to the Boys (Emancypunx)THUG LIFE - I don't need you (Refuse)STAY HUNGRY - Quick to Judge (Refuse)CHAIN OF STRENGTH - True 'til Death (Revelation)DEMOLITION - Us Against You (Triple B)A set of early 80's American hardcoreTHE FARTZ - Idiots Rule (Fartz)BIG BOYS - No Love (Touch 'n Go)FLIPPER - Living for the Depression (Beggars Banquet)THE BRAINIACS - Don't tell me why (Mental Health)STATE - New Right (Statement)I ACCUSE - Thinking Free (Self-Released)Contemporary hardcore out from the last yearYOUTH CHOIR - Make bombs not bumper stickers (Self-Released)FALSE LIGHT - The great unwashed (Self-Released)SHIT LUCK - Slow death (Self-Released)FEVER DREAMS - Spine (Self-Released) REVENGENCE - Darker Dialects (Worldwide powerviolence)HAUNTED GROUND - Rats in the Walls (Worldwide powerviolence)SKUFF - Smog dav (Worldwide powerviolence)HENRY FONDA - Mainstream media killed all my friends (Worldwide powerviolence)

Tonight's demo feature is from Toronto and this demo has been out for some time. We will be recording a session in Studio 3 with the band this Tuesday so we will have more material and an interview for Sunday. You can download the demo from their bandcamp page.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

You can listen to tonight's show on the player above or download an MP3 here.Tonight's show started out with a live session recorded on Tuesday with VCR.VCR - Pizza Party (CIUT)VCR - Interview (CIUT)VCR - Scream (CIUT)We spoke about a video for "Scream". Here it is

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

These studio 3 posts as of late have been pre-occupied with bad weather and tonight is no exception. A multi-waved snowstorm is to begin at midnight tonight, or so I keep hearing on the weather reports. At least it is not as cold as it has been. But I am still concerned about where I am meeting VCR. Fortunately two members played in Wrong Generation and have done a studio 3 session, so Matt and Scott know where the tower was on Tower Road (there are two). And I didn't recognize Scott with his hair so short. It was shoulder length the last time he was here. Still has the same baby face. As introductions are being done I learn that the keyboard player, Erica, just learned the songs over the last three days. The regular keyboard player goes to school in Montreal. That sounds like Julian from the Wastoids.

Having keyboards is unusual and we have only ever had a band with keyboards a few times with Tijuana Bibles and the Diodes and maybe Simply Saucer (although that might have just been a theremin). Anyway I wasn't sure what the sound was going to be like. I didn't need to worry because VCR rocked. And not just in some poor excuse for an adjective way. The band really pulled from garage rock inspirations citing some of Jay Reatard's projects as well as some bands from the current New York scene like Hand Wood and the Hammerheads or Coachwhips. I certainly heard a hi energy style of rock 'n roll that fuelled bands like the Mummies and New Bomb Turks. Scott was singing and playing guitar and really played up some of the drama. He is great at hyping a moment and helps you get right into their sound. There is neat interplay between him and Matt which is heard in the intro to "Scream". And he sounds like Doc Dart from the Crucifucks when he is singing.

The band also wore costumes. So the front line (Scott, MacKenzie, and Erica) sported bright red VCR shirts complete in the Blade Runner font. Scott had a bandana made out of police line tape. Mackenzie wore one of the brightest multi coloured dress I have ever seen. And Erica sported a mullet wig on top of her shoulder length hair. But Matt was the highlight nuzzled up into a yellow hazmat suit (can someone say Devo) and his hi hat was topped off with a rubber skull just waiting for a Shakespearean soliloquy.The band played the following set of originals:1. Pizza Party2. Think Twice3. One Trick Dog4. BDSM5. Fake Freaks Fuck Off6. Dirty Girl / City Boy7. Scream

VCR was also very good at doing IDs for the station and the show:8. BDSM ID - The girls did a play on the Poly Styrene intro to "Oh Bondage".9. Pizza Party ID - Matt does a British snooty accent with a dedication to D'Arcy.10. Muzak ID - Matt played elavator music while Scott did his best New Yorker impersonation.Wrong Generation had to play a show on Sunday so we did the interview after the session. Aldo from Punks and Rockers caught the set on tape even though the lighting was a bit absent.

Speaking of tapes, VCR have a demo that you can download at their bandcamp page.

Negative Rage features Cody Cross and only Cody. I guess this is what Cody does when he is not jamming with one of the twenty bands he is in. This demo is reviewed in the demo section of the February 2014 issue of MRR (#369).

The TV Freaks refer to Jimmy Vapid as one take Jimmy. The number of songs on this release speak to that record a good idea and be done with it. Jimmy is a riff machine. This was reviewed in the February 2014 issue of MRR (#369).

Jimmy Vapid can't be stopped from making music. He moved out to the sticks away from his brother and band, but he continues on as a one man band. I love that spirit about Jimmy.This is the one of three releases by Jimmy reviewed in the February issue of MRR (#369).

Broadcasting on CIUT 89.5FM since May 1999, ExD is dedicated to playing underground punk, hardcore, and garage from around the world. Tune in Sunday nights from 10pm to Midnight EST - live streaming audio available at www.ciut.fm Bands/labels: send us your stuff! We're looking for records and CDs to play on our show. We try and review submissions in our periodic newsletter which gets posted on this blog. Contact Equalizing-X-Distort by e-mail at equalizingxdistort@gmail.com.

SHOW LISTINGS

FRIDAY AUGUST 10th @ Doors Pub (56 Hess St., Hamilton)

PLASTIC HEADS

GILDED AGE

KLAZO

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WEDNESDAY AUGUST 15th @ Faith/Void

KHIIS (from Oakland)

TASHME

PIPER MARU

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FRIDAY AUGUST 17th @ Faith/Void

BIB

SCORPIO RISING

SILENT AGE

WINDOC

DIGEST

***FRIDAY AUGUST 17th @ Coalition T.O.

MURDER SQUAD T.O.

DESPERATE TIMES (from Halifax)

WRETCHED FOOLS

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SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 9th @ This Ain't Hollywood, 4:00pm

YER MOM

NOBLE SAVAGES

ARTIFICIAL DISSEMINATION

RED ROOM

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SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 15th @ Duggan's Brewery

THE DISCARDED

THE FRECKLES

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FRIDAY OCTOBER 19th @ Lee's Palace

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD.

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SATURDAY OCTOBER 20th @ Rivoli

THE CURSE

CHRIS HAIGHT'S AD-VENTURES

THE DISCARDED

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SUNDAY OCTOBER 28th @ Scotiabank Arena (40 Bay St)

NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS

If there is a show that you know about that isn't on this list, please forward it to us at equalizingxdistort@gmail.com.